Photo: Shark Helmets
The "helmet saga" reached a conclusion for the 2015 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Movistar Yamaha rider signed a one-year contract with the French helmet manufacturer Shark. During the 2016 championship, Lorenzo will be using a Shark Race-R Pro lid, most likely retaining his distinctive graphics.
Lorenzo will be using the same helmet model the reigning Moto2 Champion Johann Zarco and Aleix Espargaro are wearing. Even though the Spaniard says that his recent association with Shark Helmets might continue "for the next few seasons," no exact info was offered at the time of writing.
Still, on November 20, HJC was quick to deliver a statement via their Twitter account, reading "From HJC, we deny all rumors that HJC's contract with Jorge Lorenzo has been terminated. Jorge continues to be our number 1 Ambassador."
Jorge Lorenzo, five-time World Champion: "I am very proud to be tackling the forthcoming seasons with such a prestigious brand as SHARK, which has a long history in MotoGP. For me, this represents a most exciting challenge and I am quite sure that, together, we will form a great team. I really hope that I can reward all this confidence they have placed in me with some major successes."
The Chairman of SHARK, Patrick Francois: "We are very proud of the trust that Jorge Lorenzo has placed in our brand and in our helmets by joining the SHARK Racing Team for the forthcoming seasons of MotoGP. Having the chance to work with such a high-level experienced rider is a real opportunity for our brand, as his skills will enable us to push back the technical boundaries of our products. Jorge is aware that thanks to our leading position in the market for motorcycle equipment, we will be applying all our knowhow and expertise to every race in order to support him and fulfil all his expectations. We are certain that the quality of our products will meet with his full satisfaction and that this partnership will lead us all onward to resounding victories during the seasons to come!"
Seeing Lorenzo jumping ship now only confirms that there was a good deal of truth in the initial rumors, at least for the end-of-contract part. Back in the day, Lorenzo declared that the rumors were coming solely from the Italian media, which was bent on discrediting him. We can only hope that more light will be shed on this matter, regardless of what it will reveal. Frankly, we're getting tired of having to deal with increased amounts of PRBS (yes, PublicRelationsBullShit) instead of seeing more action.
All this makes us think that political correctness is becoming more and more a nuisance. We can no longer fully trust what companies say when they're seemingly squeezed a bit between the hammer and the anvil. No longer having the guts to speak out the truth is becoming a habit in the industry and an atrocious one that we deeply hate.
P.S.: The last thing out of the rumor mill is a question of whether Lorenzo will ride with #1 on his bike in 2016...
While we knew that Lorenzo would change his helmet supplier, the reasons behind the move are still a thing of mystery
Back in late November 2015, rumors started circulating stating that HJC Helmets decided to put an early end to their contract with Jorge Lorenzo. The contract termination was rumored to have been caused by the Spaniard's behavior in the late stages of the 2015 MotoGP championship.Still, on November 20, HJC was quick to deliver a statement via their Twitter account, reading "From HJC, we deny all rumors that HJC's contract with Jorge Lorenzo has been terminated. Jorge continues to be our number 1 Ambassador."
Jorge Lorenzo, five-time World Champion: "I am very proud to be tackling the forthcoming seasons with such a prestigious brand as SHARK, which has a long history in MotoGP. For me, this represents a most exciting challenge and I am quite sure that, together, we will form a great team. I really hope that I can reward all this confidence they have placed in me with some major successes."
The Chairman of SHARK, Patrick Francois: "We are very proud of the trust that Jorge Lorenzo has placed in our brand and in our helmets by joining the SHARK Racing Team for the forthcoming seasons of MotoGP. Having the chance to work with such a high-level experienced rider is a real opportunity for our brand, as his skills will enable us to push back the technical boundaries of our products. Jorge is aware that thanks to our leading position in the market for motorcycle equipment, we will be applying all our knowhow and expertise to every race in order to support him and fulfil all his expectations. We are certain that the quality of our products will meet with his full satisfaction and that this partnership will lead us all onward to resounding victories during the seasons to come!"
Seeing Lorenzo jumping ship now only confirms that there was a good deal of truth in the initial rumors, at least for the end-of-contract part. Back in the day, Lorenzo declared that the rumors were coming solely from the Italian media, which was bent on discrediting him. We can only hope that more light will be shed on this matter, regardless of what it will reveal. Frankly, we're getting tired of having to deal with increased amounts of PRBS (yes, PublicRelationsBullShit) instead of seeing more action.
All this makes us think that political correctness is becoming more and more a nuisance. We can no longer fully trust what companies say when they're seemingly squeezed a bit between the hammer and the anvil. No longer having the guts to speak out the truth is becoming a habit in the industry and an atrocious one that we deeply hate.
P.S.: The last thing out of the rumor mill is a question of whether Lorenzo will ride with #1 on his bike in 2016...
Google News